- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- home style today articles
- home style today q&a
- traveling today articles
- traveling today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
High Altitude Fun in Canada
Heli-hiking in the Canadian Rockies
By Corinne Humphrey
Chef Noel Dias then introduced us to the CMH tradition of "roughing it easy" with his casual gourmet cooking. The mountain air heightened our appetites, and we attacked the lunch buffet filled with pastas, salads and desserts. All the guides and lodge staff pull double duty. In addition to their regular chores, they serve meals and play host at the head of the tables during mealtimes. 
After lunch, we attended a helicopter flight safety briefing before being whisked off in small groups to remote trailheads. The sound of the rotor blades faded into the distance and was replaced by the whoosh of wind and soft dance of a distant waterfall. Experienced guides led us through wildflower-studded meadows filled with avalanche lilies, lavender mountain asters and "hippie heads" or "hippies-on-a-stick," straight stalks topped by wild, hairy, Einstein-like tufts.
We hiked for three hours, enjoying the perfect weather that was rivaled only by the 360-degree views of Canada's Alps. At the end of the afternoon, one call on the radio summoned the helicopter for our ride back to the lodge in time for appetizers and drinks on the deck. Friendships formed while sharing the day's discoveries or discussing that night's menu of venison, scalloped potatoes and a merlot from the lodge's extensive wine cellar.
Over dinner, the next day's options were revealed: long hikes, strenuous hikes, short strolls around an alpine lake, stretch classes, massage, mountaineering or just lounging on deck. Remembering Helen Keller's quote, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" and fortified by the merlot, my red glass of courage, I opted for the mountaineering.
was fitted with a helmet, climbing boots, harness, ice axe and "cow tails" and carabiners – straps with metal locking metal clasps used to clip onto cables. My climbing experience up until then had consisted of a one-day adult education class and one not-so-successful attempt on a challenge course climbing wall.
